Read about some fish and game violations !!

[AndyS]

On a Saturday during the Trout Season, Officer Kuechler received a call from an informant about illegal fishing in the Passaic River in Chatham Township, Morris County. Officer Kuechler responded to the area and observed three (3) men in the river with cast nets catching fish. When approached, the men were found to have over 95 fish in their possession including multiple trout, multiple bass and panfish. None of the men possessed a fishing license or a trout stamp. Multiple summonses were issued for no license, no trout stamp, possession of bass during the closed season, possession of undersized bass, and illegal manner and means for fishing

There is plenty more than that, just click the link !!!

http://www.njcoa.com/highlights/highlights.html

[AndyS]

Point Lobster Company pled guilty to forty violations of N.J.A.C. 7:25-14.13a, a regulation adopted by the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (Department) pursuant to its authority to regulate "the taking and management of the lobster of the genus and species Homarus americanus [(American lobster)] in the State." N.J.S.A. 23:5-9e. The regulation states the minimum length of American lobster permissible to possess, buy, sell, import or export in this State. N.J.A.C. 7:25-14.13a. The judge imposed a $1200 penalty, the aggregate of the minimum $30 fine per undersized lobster, N.J.S.A. 23:28-14a(2); N.J.A.C. 7:25-14.20g (administrative penalty). See N.J.A.C. 7:25-14.20k (providing that the Department is not required to "assess an administrative penalty before instituting prosecution" for violation of a regulation). The judge granted Point Lobster's request for a stay pending appeal.
Prior to entering the guilty plea, Point Lobster moved to suppress the evidence as the product of an unconstitutional search and to dismiss the charges on the ground that the regulation violates the Commerce Clause or is void for vagueness under the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution. The trial judge denied those applications and accepted Point Lobster's guilty plea conditioned on its right to appeal the court's rulings on the motions to suppress and dismiss.1 Point Lobster appealed from those determinations, and we reject its challenges to those rulings.

On a recent patrol of the Pequest River, Lieutenant Cole observed four individuals fishing near the outflow of the Pequest Hatchery. Three of the anglers had licenses displayed; the fourth was found to have no license. Of the three displayed licenses examined, two were found to have been loaned. The appropriate complaints were signed.

Lieutenant Cole made several apprehensions for over the limit trout during the spring. In one instance he found an individual on the South Branch with five trout on a stringer and an additional six hidden in his automobile. He conducted a plainclothes surveillance of an individual on the Musconetcong River, following him to four different locations including the home of a friend to drop off the first limit. After four hours, Lieutenant Cole apprehended his target with four trout over the daily limit. In a separate incident CO Applegate assisted in the apprehension of an individual on the D&R Canal found with four trout on his person and an additional seven in his vehicle. The appropriate complaints were signed in each case.

When CO Szulecki stopped to inspect a group of six fishermen at the Prospertown Lake in Jackson Twp he noticed that two of them were fishing without licenses. While trying to obtain subject information the two men became uncooperative and belligerent. Officers from the central region were sent to assist. When the situation was under control it was determined that one of the subjects was wanted for assault charges. That individual was taken into custody and transported to the Trenton Police Department by CO Martiak. Summonses for fishing without a license and interference were issued.

THE LIST GOES ON AND ON !!!

[AndyS]

http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/mcs...ishandgame.pdf Freshwater

http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/mcs...4/part2-b6.pdf saltwater


N.J. catches more people violating fishing laws
New Jersey conservation officers are making more arrests for state fishing-law violations such as exceeding daily catch limits and fishing out of season, according to a report in The Press of Atlantic City.
The report said state Division of Fish and Wildlife detailed two dozen cases during a two-month period at a Sept. 2 meeting of the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council. Capt. Mark Chicketano, of the division's Bureau of Law Enforcement, told the newspaper "it's getting worse. Is it a product of our general lawlessness in society? I don't know. I think it's an inherent lack of faith that our regulations mean anything


As New Jersey fishing laws increase, so do arrests
ATLANTIC CITY - Brett Nicklow observed suspicious and probably illegal activity here in the inlet section off Melrose Avenue this summer.
One man was handing what Nicklow suspected was illicit contraband to another man, who ran it back to a parked vehicle on Melrose Avenue and returned to the rock jetty for another pick-up. It happened over and over.
Could it be drugs? Maybe it was a numbers runner taking bets.
Nicklow, a conservation agent with the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, moved in and confronted the runner, Vincent C. Ngo, of Maple Shade. Nicklow was not even slightly surprised to find the illicit material was a fish, known as tautog.
Until recently, this July 25 case would have been considered unusual for a conservation agent. Now, it's pretty common. In fact, Nicklow staked out the inlet jetties two days later and made another arrest for possession of illegal tautog.
Tautog is one of the top recreational fishes in the mid-Atlantic, but the catch limit at the time Nicklow was staking the jetty was one fish per day.
A larger trend is under way. State conservation officers are making more arrests for violating fishing laws either for profit or just to take more fish home to eat, according to Capt. Mark Chicketano, of the division's Bureau of Law Enforcement.
It's getting worse. Is it a product of our general lawlessness in society? I don't know. I think it's an inherent lack of faith that our regulations mean anything," Chicketano said.
The bureau's Marine Region Headquarters gives a report at each meeting of the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council.
The reports used to include a handful of cases that took a few minutes to summarize. But at the Sept. 3 meeting, it took much longer for Chicketano to present the two dozen cases of illegal fishing since the last meeting two months earlier.
It didn't even include the fishermen caught Sept. 6 - three days after the meeting and two days after summer flounder season ended - with 47 summer flounder in their possession. That may be one key to what is going on. An early end of summer flounder season was highly unpopular. Chicketano noted when he started in 1983 there was no summer flounder season, and now there is a season, a size limit and a bag limit
"There're more and more regulations. People don't believe in it anymore. They're so disgusted with it," Chicketano said.
Striped bass may be an exception. Many fishermen credit strict regulations with restoring stocks, and Chicketano said they see few striper violations.
Chicketano could understand if the bad economy was leading people to violate fishing laws to eat, but he said many of the violators have nice boats and cars. Some are in it for the money, especially with tautog and black sea bass, since both command high prices from the Asian restaurant trade in the New York City.
"We sit and watch at the Point Pleasant Canal (in Ocean County) and find an 80 percent violation rate with (tautog)," Chicketano said.
The July 25 Atlantic City case hasn't gone to municipal court yet. Nicklow charged Ngo with having 15 tautog under the 14-inch size limit as well as possessing 14 tautog above the daily bag limit of one fish per angler per day.
Ngo allegedly was getting the fish from an angler or anglers fishing on the jetty and running the fish to his vehicle on Melrose Avenue. Nicklow was working alone and was not able to arrest the anglers.
Violations for profit are not the only problem. A general disregard of the regulations among those fishing for sport was found during an Aug. 8 sweep on the Raritan Bay, where agents conducted 330 inspections of recreational fishermen and clammers. They issued 44 citations.
Recent violations include several in which people hid illegal fish in compartments in their boat, in a bucket tucked in vegetation near the Barnegat Inlet jetty and, in the case of a commercial lobsterman, hidden in a locked floating fish tote. Chicketano said he has caught anglers hiding fish in their pants and their waders.
"They know the law," Chicketano said.
Violations typically include taking undersized fish or crabs, catching more than the daily bag limit, fishing out of season, illegally selling to restaurants, not having the proper licenses, violations of filleting laws, harvesting in condemned waters, clamming on Sundays and using illegal nets.
The violations can bring fines as high as $10,000 and loss of certain fishing privileges. Several party boats are facing loss of their filleting privileges for summer flounder for filleting undersize fish. They are supposed to keep what's left, the rack, to prove the fillet came from that fish. They don't always match up.
"We have six cases of fictitious fillet racks (this year). We've had 63 summonses for flounder parts," Chicketano said.
Part of the trend is fueled by more fishing regulations and more enforcement agents. When Chicketano started in 1983, only a few species were regulated. There wasn't even a minimum flounder size then. Now, just about every species is regulated and seasons open and close, often several times per year for the same species. It can be confusing.
There were also just four marine agents in the state in 1983. Now there are 10 conservation officers in the field under Chicketano plus two lieutenants, Lt. Dominick Fresco and Lt. Mark Canale.
"There are more species protected and regulations have become more complicated. As the need for enforcement has grown, we've grown," Canale said.
The division has enforced fishing laws since 1892, but it wasn't until 1983 that a separate
marine unit was created. Before that, officers did inland and water enforcement.
Some of the best cases, Canale noted, come from the public through the DEP's hotline, 1-877-WARNDEP, where anglers can report violations.

[tjc76]

Thank you for posting this Andy.

[Eskimo]

.

Great webpage. I don't think I'm going to get much done at work tomorrow.


By the way, one way to report wildlife crimes is calling 1-855-OGT-TIPS

I'm going to put this number in my phone.

[lunkertaker]

Originally Posted by tjc76

Thank you for posting this Andy.

DITTO on this. Who knew there were so many poachers! I got the F&G # in my cell phone so if I see something, I say something and call.

[Rickhem]

I was fishing Barbour's Pond up on Garrett Mountain a week after trout opened this year and two officers were making the rounds checking licenses. When they came over to me, they first struck up some conversation, asked how the fishing was, talked about when the lake was stocked and why it has been a little slow early on this year, then asked to see my license. Absolute professionalism. I also watched them with a younger guy, early 20s that had nice equipment and obviously knew how to use it. I heard them asking him for his license, which he "didn't have with him", and then they asked for his driver's license. I guess all that info you enter when you buy your license does come into use eventually. I got the impression that they were giving him every opportunity to show he wasn't poaching. Again, very professional.
Kind of a sad statement about society that these officers are now wearing body armor as they patrol.